Safety device for controllers



- SAFETY nnvwa poncomnonmns Filed May 18.- 1921 Fetented den. 1., 1924.

men raft Fr t? JOHN 3'. WAY, OF EDG-EVIORTH, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CONTROLLERS.

Application filed May 18,

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN J. WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgeworth, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Controllers, of which the following is a specification. V This invention relates to controllers such as those used in connection with various vehicles and motor driven machinery, and is for a safety device which will render it impossible to move the controller from a neutral position without first closing a safety circuit.

An object of this invention is to provide a magnetically controlled means between the operating handle of a controller and the movable member of the controller, such as the contact closing device in an electric controller, arranged so that the operation of the handle will not move the said controller member unless a safety circuit is closed.

Further objects are to provide a device of this kind in which there is normally no movement of the parts so that there is little liability of trouble or of parts wearing out, and a device which will automatically allow the controller mechanism to move to neutral position if the safety circuit should at any time be opened when the controller mechanism is in operative position.

7 One embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in connection with an elevator controller. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of an elevator controller of any well known or preferred type, showing my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 -is a side elevation, showing part of the operating lever and controller in section; 1

Fig 3 is a diagrammatic viewrepresenting a circuit which may be used in connection with elevators.

In the drawings, A represents anelevator cage having a side wall 5 and a controller casing 6 mounted on a bracket 7. B represents an'ele'vator shaftand. C the doors.

In the casing 6 is a rotatable shaft 8 which carries the usual circuit closing or contact member. One end of the shaft projects'outside the casing and has a threaded end 9. On the projecting end of the shaft 8 and retained in place by a suitable nut 9 is the hub 10 of an operating lever or crank 1921. Serial no. 470,538.

11. At the outer end of the'lever is a handle 11. The hub 10 is freely rotatable about the shaft 8.

Suitably mounted on the operating crank 11 is an electro-magnet, such as a pair of coils 12 having suitable supporting means 13 and poles 14. At 15 is an armature adapted to be attracted by the magnets, and secured to the armature at 16 is a vertical pin or plunger 17 which is slidably carried in the supporting means 13, and which has a rounded lower end 18 adapted to be passed through and guided in the hub 10. In the shaft 8 is a rounded or concaved recess in which only the rounded end 18 of pin 17 may be projected. The arrangement is such that when the armature 15 is against the ends of poles 14, the rounded end 18 of the pin projects into the recess.

Surrounding the pin 17 and interposed between'a washer 19 secured thereon and one of the supporting members 13 is a compression spring 20 which normally urges the end of the pin into the recess, and which is preferably relatively weak. 7

The controller 6 may be provided with the usual double acting spring 21 secured to shaft 8 and adapted to return the con troller parts to neutral position, if the operator should ever from any cause release the handle when the car is moving or when the controller parts are moved to operative position. This spring is generally quite stiff.

In operation, if an effort is made to rotate shaft 8 to bring the contact members into operative position before the magnets 12 are energized, the spring 21 will resist such movement, and the rounded end 18 of pin 17 will ride out of the concave recess and the lever 11 will not transmit any motion to shaft 8. When the magnets are energized and the armature 15 is across the poles 14:, the pin 17 will not lift out of the recess, it, of course, being appreciated that the pull of the magnets, where the armature is actually across and in contact with the poles, is considerable. The-shaft 8 may accordingly be rotated. Should the circuit be broken whilev the parts are in operative position, spring 21 would overcome the pressure exerted by spring 20 alone, and

the shaft 8 would be rotated to neutral position, independently of the handle.

In Fig. 3, the diagram illustrates the magnets 12 connected in a circuit which has contacts 11 therein adapted to break the circuit when the doors C are open and close it when the doors are closed. Contacts of this kind are common in the art. The current lines for the door contacts are indicated at b and b. D represents a magnetic switch also energized from lines Z) and 6. Contacts at are located in line b, and ate the circuit is divided. Line (Z passes down to one side of the coil of switch D, the other sideof which connects directly to the line 6. Line 6 passesthrough the magnets 12, and connectsto line b at 0' Switch D'is adapted to close and break a circuit through the elevator control lines 7. and Thus, it will be seenthat it any or all of the doors G are open, the circuit through the magnets 12 is broken and the circuit through switch D is open, and it is not possible to operate the elevator.

An emergency circuit 9 through push button h in the car may be provided to short circuit around the door contacts a, but this button, as is usual;with-emergency buttons, is so arranged and positionedthat: the operator must use both hands to run: the car when using it.

From the foregoing, it may beseen that there is no relative movement-between parts except when the operator moves the control lever l1 with-the circuit through magnets 12 open, or when the circuit is broken at. a time whenthe controller is moved to operative position. Furthermore, it may be especially noted'that pin-.17 does not, inthe arrangement shown, moveup and, down every time thesafety circuit is opened.

Ttwi-llbe obvious that the device need not belimited touse in connection with elevator controllers, asit may be used. on various type/sot electric or steam, or. other control lers, such as on vehicles of various kinds, or in connection with traveling cranes or hoisting machines, and other apparatus. Various .chan 'esand modifications may also be made in the particular construction shown.

hat Iclaim is: 1 V

1. The combination with a controller having. a movable member and. an operating member for effecting the i'nioveinentthereof, ofmagnetically controlledmeans carried by one of said members having means for cooperation with the other member for normally retaining the operating member. in operative connection with the movable member.

2. The combination with acontroller having a movable member and 2111': operating member, magnetically controlled means on one of the members for normally retaining the operating member and movable member in..- operative connection, said magnetically controlled, means including an electromagnet and aimeans' cooperating with the magnet whichyieldabl-y holds the parts innormal position but which is insufficient to holdYthem in normal position upon movement of the operating member when said magnet is de-energized.

The combination with a controller hav ing a movable member having neutral and operating positions and means for urging the movable member to neutral position, an operating.member for efi'ecting the movenent of the movable member, of a magnetically controlled means carried by"v one; of

said members and including an electromagnet for normally retainingithe operating means and movable member in operative connection but for permittingrelative,movement between the operating means and movable means upon the de-energization ofthe electro-magnet. v

4. The combination with a controller having a movable member-whichhas a neutral and an operating-position and: isprovided with a spring for holding it in onreturning it to neutral position, of an operating handlemovable relatively. to the movable member, magnetic means including an electro-magnet for normally holding the operatinghandle and movable member against relative'movement when the magnetsare, energized, and a second spring associated with the, said magnetic means for holdingsaid 1 means in normal position but allowingysaid means to be movediout of normalposition and permit relative movement ofthe handle and-movable member, wherebythe; said movable member will always be, moved or; retained in neutral positionwhen the magnet is de. energized.

5. A. controller having a rotatable shaft and an. operating means: freely movable thereon, a; magnetically operated pin on the opei ail-ing means and an electro-magnet therefor adapted to, enter a recessv in said shaft to hold the shaft and-operating. means against relative movement and so-arranged that it may be disengaged fromithe-rece'ss to permit relative rotation of the shaft and operatingrmeans whenthe electrosmagnet 1s tie-energized.

6. A controller having a rotatable shaft, an operating means free-1y rotatable thereon, a reciprocable pin on the operating. means having a rounded end adapted to be projected into a rounded recess on said'shaft, a

spring for yieldably urging the pin into the recess, an electro-mag'net on the operating means: having an armature connected with said reciprocable pin for holding the pin in the recess when the magnet is energized:

7 The combination with a controller having a movable member and: an operating member therefor movable relatively thereto, of 'locking means carried by one of the'menr berscooperating with the othermember for normally holding said movable member-and operating member against relatives movement, and means whereby said. locking means may be automatically released.

8. The combination with a controller havl means may be moved to engage or disengage 10 said members. i

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN J. WAY. Witnesses:

WM. H. PARMELEE,

. LOIS WINEMAN. 

